‘GOOD MORNING WASHINGTON’: Among the stories – Coverage of the TB scare in Fairfax County; The nation's first statewide ban on the sale of crib bumper pads is taking effect in Maryland beginning today; much more, beginning at 4:30 a.m M-F.

EASY FOR HIM TO SAY: Of whistling in the dark, per the Baltimore Sun, “U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican Party's nominee for vice president last year, challenged the Maryland GOP on Thursday night to follow the example of the party in his home state of Wisconsin and take back the State House. Bringing a message of hope to Maryland's downtrodden Republicans, Ryan pointed to the Wisconsin GOP's success in seizing the governorship and both houses of the Legislature in 2010, while also making gains in the Congress.

"We did it a few years ago in Wisconsin," he said. "You are ripe for it right here in Maryland." Ryan's speech at a Republican fundraiser in Baltimore largely struck general themes of self-reliance and the ills of dependence on government, but he also signaled a shift away from the House Republican caucus' practice of holding repeated votes to repeal President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act outright — even though he predicted that its implementation would be a "fiasco." http://bsun.md/1c20lFx

REAL PROOF?: That’s what they say, anyway, per the Washington Post, “Despite months of laboratory testing and scrutiny by top U.S. scientists, the Obama administration’s case for arming Syria’s rebels rests on unverifiable claims that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against its own people, according to diplomats and experts.

“The United States, Britain and France have supplied the United Nations with a trove of evidence, including multiple blood, tissue and soil samples, that U.S. officials say proves that Syrian troops used the nerve agent sarin on the battlefield. But the nature of the physical evidence — as well as the secrecy over how it was collected and analyzed — has opened the administration to criticism by independent experts, who say there is no reliable way to assess its authenticity.” http://wapo.st/1c1HRF6

E.W. JACKSON: The latest, per the Richmond Times-Dispatch, “At a Juneteenth event in Newport News, E.W. Jackson, the Republican candidate for Va. lieutenant governor, said slavery did not destroy black families, but government welfare programs launched in the 1960s caused them to deteriorate.

“Speaking before a small crowd at King-Lincoln Park, not too far from where the first African slaves entered the Colonies, Jackson referred to his great-grandparents, who were slaves and sharecroppers in Orange County.” http://bit.ly/19Xj1cW

BERNANKE: When he speaks, people listen, per the New York Times, “Tumbling stock, bond and commodity prices around the world are demonstrating just how reliant the global economy has become on the monetary policies of the Federal Reserve.

“In the weeks since the Fed’s chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, first indicated that the central bank might start to pare back its support for the economy, markets in Asia, Europe and Latin America have fallen even more sharply than those in the United States, threatening economic growth in many countries.” http://nyti.ms/19Xk5gR

FIRES GONE WILD: No end in sight, per the Denver Post, “Wildfires continued to burn across Colorado on Thursday, some destroying structures while others took direct aim at tourism. And the National Weather Service's forecast for the next seven days, with temperatures in the 90s, doesn't point to any quick relief.

“The East Peak fire, originally dubbed the Scout Ranch fire, in southern Colorado has grown to 9,000 acres with zero percent containment, forcing mandatory evacuations for residents east of the town of La Veta all the way to Interstate 25, and south of Walsenburg to the Las Animas County line.” http://bit.ly/12Zaogv

IMMIGRATION REFORM: Send in the troops, per the Los Angeles Times, “The Senate is poised to approve a military-style buildup along the U.S. border with Mexico, doubling the number of Border Patrol agents on the ground and tripling the number of drones overhead — a $30-billion plan designed to win the votes of as many as 15 Republican senators for the immigration reform bill.

“The plan would add so many new agents to the Border Patrol — 20,000 — that if all were deployed at once, they could be stationed roughly every 250 feet along the border, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.” http://lat.ms/12YGadk

POLITICO PLAY: “Chris Christie says he didn’t send his longtime confidant and friend, Jeff Chiesa, to the Senate to be his proxy. The interim GOP senator, who was tapped this month to temporarily fill the seat of late Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg, is “his own man,” aides to Christie and Chiesa insist.

“But given their intertwined careers over the past two decades, the question persists: Will Chiesa be channeling Christie when he votes on immigration reform — a hot-button GOP issue the New Jersey governor has mostly avoided — or any other tough issue he votes on? And will Chiesa’s votes prove to be a liability for Christie?” http://politi.co/14mumNO

TB SCARE: Just the facts, per ABC7—WJLA, “About 400 people may have been exposed to tuberculosis at Lee High School in Fairfax County. According to school officials, approximately 1700 letters were sent out to faculty and families of students at the high school alerting them of a tuberculosis epidemic. A second letter was then sent to 400 of those individuals, informing them that they had either sat next to or spent time near one of the three infected people for 24 or more hours total, and that they will need to be tested.” http://wj.la/147Hgim

THE FUN CONTINUES: Of straw men, per City Paper, “Just hours after one person connected to alleged straw donation scheme organizer Jeffrey Thompson pleaded guilty, another one has been charged. This time, it's Pennsylvania resident Stanley L. Straughter, a contractor for Thompson's former accounting firm.

“In 2010, Straughter allegedly made illegal donations to two campaigns, one for the Senate and one for the House of Representatives. The donations added up to $2,000 and $25,000 in illegal donations, according to court records. Straughter has been charged with making an unlawful corporate contribution.” http://bit.ly/19lyAZ8

SICK: Simply sick, per the Washington Times, “A 26-year-old Suitland man killed his girlfriend’s 2-year-old son by smashing him headfirst through a wall, prosecutors said in newly released court documents. Clifton Bernard, who weighs 180 pounds and is 5 feet 10 inches tall, told police he attacked the toddler because he felt the child had disrespected him, sources with knowledge of the case said.” http://bit.ly/12f5jZM

FITNESS GOLD: Or something like that, per ARLnow, “Washington area health club chain Fitness First is being sold to Gold’s Gym. Members of the health club were notified of the planned acquisition via email from founder Peter Harvey.” http://bit.ly/11QCx1y

TRENDING ON ABC7 FACEBOOK: “The House rejected a five-year farm bill on Thursday. The half-trillion-dollar bill would have cut $2 million annually from food stamps and allowed states to establish requirements on those who receive them. The vote was 234-195 against the bill, with many Republicans believing that the cuts were just not drastic enough.” http://wj.la/19m05Sq

NEWSTALK: Among today’s guests (10 a.m., NewsChannel 8) is Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, who will be asked about his bid for a second term and his appointment of a new school board chairman.